1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to an apparatus for a combined game of bowling and billiards (hereinafter, referred to as “billiard bowling game”), which utilizes both billiard skills and bowling skills, and, more particularly, to an apparatus for a billiard bowling game in which a miniature bowling ball is struck and driven by a billiard cue to knock down bowling pins, wherein the apparatus is constructed to distribute bowling pins so as to automatically set the bowling pins on a bowling lane and at the same time to return the bowling ball by causing a free-falling motion of the bowling ball.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As well known to those skilled in the art, in a billiard bowling game, a billiard cue is used to strike and drive a miniature bowling ball which is scaled down to the size of a billiard ball. Then, the bowling ball rolls on a bowling lane to knock down all of ten bowling pins which are set on an opposite end of the bowling lane. A score is calculated depending upon the number of fallen pins, and a person who acquires a highest score wins the game.
Therefore, the billiard bowling game has substantially the same pattern of play as a bowling game, except that the bowling ball is struck and driven by the billiard cue rather than being grasped and thrown by the hand.
Accordingly, in the conventional billiard bowling game, a bowling ball returning section for returning a used bowling ball to its original ready-for-use position and a bowling pin distributing section for distributing bowling pins with an aim of resetting collected bowling pins on a bowling lane are structured in the same manner as those in the bowling game.
However, in the case that the bowling ball returning section and bowling pin distributing section, which are adopted in the bowling game, are adopted in the billiard bowling game as they are, problems are caused in that their structures are complicated, precision, repeatability and rapidity of bowling ball returning and bowling pin distributing operations are poor, and an excessive manufacturing cost is required, thereby deteriorating popularity of the billiard bowling game.